Welcome to the second BLInner Blog for CHI 2021. In our first blog, we talked about the history of CHI Diversity and Inclusion Lunch, and our plans for 2021. Since then, we have had an overwhelming response and we decided to open up BLInner for free to everyone. We also extended the deadline to register, till the May 3rd End of Day AoE.
This Blog will focus on 3 things:
- Updated Schedule of Classes, Chefs, and Recipes
- Next steps (Dietary Preferences, Registration, Logistics)
- Introducing the Chefs
Updated Schedule of Classes, Chefs and Recipes
- Please refer to this updated schedule as you decide which class to register for.
- If you need ASL support, we encourage you to choose Class #3
- Only one class can be registered by a person
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #1 | Monday (May 10) 13:00 | Sunday (May 10) 04:00 | Nathi Toro | Colombian | Truffle Rice-less Risotto |
| Class #2 | Monday (May 10) 22:30 | Monday (May 10) 13:30 | Antonio Balassone | Italian | Fresh Tagliatelle With pea sauce |
| Class #3* ASL Enabled |
Tuesday (May 11) 04:30 | Monday (May 10) 19:30 | Hannah Wong | Chinese | Hand-pulled noodles with biáng biáng sauce |
| Class #4 | Tuesday (May 11) 08:00 | Monday (May 10) 23:00 | Mimi Weissenborn | North American | Spring Garganelli With Morels + Pea |
| Class #5 | Wednesday (May 12) 02:00 | Tuesday (May 11) 17:00 | Rachana Rimal | Nepali | Vegan bread |
| Class #6 | Wednesday (May 12) 04:30 | Tuesday (May 11) 19:30 | Nasrin Rejali | Persian | Eggplant Mirza |
| Class #7 | Wednesday (May 12) 14:30 | Wednesday (May 12) 05:30 | Paola Carlini | European | Beet Gazpacho + Patatas bravas |
| Class #8 | Wednesday (May 12) 21:00 | Wednesday (May 12) 12:00 | Keesha O’Galdez | Belize-Caribbean | Tropical Buddha Bowl |
| Class #9 | Thursday (May 13) 04:30 | Wednesday (May 12) 19:30 | Alex Roberts | North American | Buttermilk Biscuits |
| Class #10 | Thursday (May 13) 22:30 | Thursday (May 13) 13:30 | Sandra Millán | South American | Encocada |
| Class #11 | Friday (May 14) 02:30 | Thursday (May 13) 17:30 | Palak Patel | Indian | Herb and Sweet Potato Soup |
| Class #12 | Friday (May 14) 06:30 | Thursday (May 13) 21:30 | Akiko Thurnauer | Japanese | Gyoza (dumplings) |
Next Steps (Dietary Preferences, Registration, Logistics)
Dietary Preferences
All the recipes for BLInner above have been designed to be friendly to Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-Free, and Gluten-Free diets. Same holds if you practice Kosher, Halal or have nut allergies. Here are the general guidelines suggested by the chefs to customize your chosen class/recipe to best meet your needs.
- Proteins: If you are vegan, vegetarian or have any allergies please avoid the proteins or substitute for vegetables, tofu or tempeh. Substitution notes are in each recipe as well
- Dairy milk: Substitute for Nut milks, oat milk or soy milk
- Nut allergies: Avoid using any sesame seed oil listed in some of the recipes or nuts
- Gluten free: Please use soy free alternatives, gluten free flours, gluten free bread, or tamari)
- Eggs: Please substitute for vegan eggs in case you are allergic or vegan
- Kosher: If any of the recipes mixes Milk and protein please feel free to substitute the animal milk for a nut or soy milk alternative, you can also substitute the protein for a vegetarian option like tofu/tempeh.
In case of any particular questions that are not answered here, please feel free to reach out to BLInner Head Chef, Adriana Urbina, at info@adrianaurbina.com
Registration
To register your preferred chef/recipe/class-time, please add that particular BLInner class in the CHI Registration flow. As long as space permits - you can change your previously suggested class as well to a different class.
BLInner is now free. If you made a voluntary contribution signing up for BLInner in the past and would like to be refunded - please reach out to rpatterson@executivevents.com requesting the BLInner refund.Logistics
On May 4th, you will receive recipe and ingredients needed for that recipe, giving you sufficient time to collect fresh ingredients locally
During the live stream, you will not be uploading your video/audio. So, please feel fully comfortable as you cook your dish while following the Chef on the video livestream. You can send chat messages in case you have any questions. The moderator will read them out and the class Chef and/or Head Chef will respond to those asap.
Introducing the Chefs
Adriana Urbina, BLInner Head Chef
Adriana will be present in all the 12 classes to aid the Chef, and moderate participants’ questions.
Adriana was born in Caracas, Venezuela into a family of architects and artists. Combining her natural eye for design and personal passion for all things food, she decided to pursue a culinary career. She refined her talents at top international culinary programs including L'Ecole de Cuisine Alain Ducasse in France and Sumito Estévez’s Instituto Culinario Caracas in Venezuela, before serving as an apprentice at Spain’s Michelin 3-star restaurant, Martín Berasategui.
Adriana moved to NYC in 2011, where she has since launched her successful pop-up and private dining company, Tepuy Dining, as well as held the title of executive chef at the James Beard-award winning Nolita eatery, De Maria. Additionally, Adriana is a three-time winner of the Food Network’s Chopped; her most recent victory was on the highly competitive "Chopped Grand Championship" – she is the only Latin-American female chef to have won the title.
Beyond her work in the kitchen, Urbina is also a passionate activist. Her ongoing mission is to use her unique culinary expertise as a voice to shine a light on meaningful causes that support immigration reform, women’s rights, and aid to those in need in her home country of Venezuela. Her most recent project was featured in Forbes and it’s called The Table. A platform that gives paid opportunities to women in the food industry to showcase their work to a wider audience.
Social: https://www.instagram.com/adrianaurbinap
Nathi Toro
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #1 | Monday (May 10) 13:00 | Sunday (May 10) 04:00 | Nathi Toro | Colombian | Truffle Rice-less Risotto |
Nathi is a native Colombian, and currently resides in Barcelona.
Nathi has a B.S. in Biology and Human Psychology and recently completed a Plant-Based Culinary Nutrition program from Cornell University. Her love for nutrition, sports, culinary arts, anthropology, and photography can be credited to her travels to different countries and exposure to other cultures.
In 2011, she adopted a plant-based lifestyle in hopes of transforming her hormonal health through food. She has gained vast knowledge in nutrition from Harvard and Stanford University. Additionally, Nathi has worked with chefs all around the world such as celebrity chef Chloe Coscarelli, Matthew Kenney, Toni Rodriguez, and Final Table contestant Benjamin Bensoussan. Nathi has been featured on Yahoo Mujer, Fucsia, Healthy Magazine, Foodable TV, Voyage Magazine, Antidote, and Bogota Wine & Food Festival.
When she is not cooking, creating culinary experiences, teaching or working as a private chef; she enjoys racing in triathlons, traveling, and reading! Nathi is currently getting her degree in Functional Medicine and a Master’s in Dietetics and Nutrition
Social: https://www.instagram.com/chefnathitoro
Antonio Balassone
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #2 | Monday (May 10) 22:30 | Monday (May 10) 13:30 | Antonio Balassone | Italian | Fresh Tagliatelle With pea sauce |
Antonio is a Venezuela-Italian chef, with more than 17 years of experience in the restaurant business. He finished his studies in the Gastronomic institute of Science in Italy. He then worked and owned multiple restaurants around the world. Now he resides in Mexico and owns 3 businesses, including an underground Italian restaurant called Plinian. The other 2 restaurants are called Salvaje and Carinitos.
Social: https://www.instagram.com/los_salvajes_mezcal/
Hannah Wong
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #3*
ASL Enabled |
Tuesday (May 11) 04:30 | Monday (May 10) 19:30 | Hannah Wong | Chinese | Hand-pulled noodles with biáng biáng sauce |
Chef Hannah Wong was born in South Korea and adopted when she was about a year old. She spent most of her childhood in central New Jersey. Her adoptive father, an immigrant from Hong Kong, was a cook at Wo Hop, an iconic restaurant in Manhattan's Chinatown.
Hannah was a Fulbright scholar in Hong Kong before attending culinary school at Johnson & Wales. Since 2012, she has worked in New York City restaurants such as Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Moderne, Gramercy Tavern and Battersby. In March of 2019, Hannah partnered with Yen Ngo of Real Food Catering to open Van Đa (vanda.nyc), a modern Vietnamese restaurant that received a star from the New York Times and Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand recognition
Social: https://www.instagram.com/hannahcwong/?hl=en
Mimi Weissenborn
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #4 | Tuesday (May 11) 08:00 | Monday (May 10) 23:00 | Mimi Weissenborn | North American | Spring Garganelli With Morels + Pea |
Mimi Weissenborn, is a New York City chef, Beat Bobby Flay (Food Network) contender and Chopped (Food Network) runner up!
Chef Mimi began cooking at a young age and graduated from L’Academie de Cuisine in her native Maryland. From there, she trained at Firestone’s Culinary Tavern in Frederick, MD, moving through the kitchen, before landing in the pastry department where she discovered her love for baking. After five years at Firestone's, Mimi moved to New York where she worked at multiple restaurants before joining the team at Vinateria (Executive Chef), the beloved Spanish and Italian-inspired Harlem restaurant. There she received a Michelin recommendation, and participated in multiple chef collaborations including Chef Adrienne Cheatham’s (Top Chef runner-up) and collaborated on an International Woman’s Day Dinner alongside Chef Elizabeth Falkner and Chef Amanda Freitag (of the Food Network).
Social: https://www.instagram.com/Shefmimi
Rachana Rimal
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #5 | Wednesday (May 12) 02:00 | Tuesday (May 11) 17:00 | Rachana Rimal | Nepali | Vegan bread |
Rachana was born in the capital of Nepal: Kathmandu. Nepal is a small country that shares borders (and culinary traditions) with both China and India. Rachana’s grandfather worked as an administrator for the king and when Rachana was just 16-years old, she married the grandson of the king’s physician, who was then just 17-years old.
Throughout Rachana’s years in Nepal, her father oversaw the farming of a family-owned property many miles from Kathmandu. He would frequently send fresh food home from the farm, which her mother and sisters-in-law would cook for her, her six siblings, and thirty to forty-five members of their extended family. From a young age, Rachana loved to cook and spent many hours watching her mother in the kitchen. She especially enjoyed learning recipes from her mother that had been passed down over many generations.
Rachana came to the US when she was granted asylum in 2006. When she left, an armed conflict between the Nepal government and the Communist Party of Nepal had been going on for 10 years, leaving at least 13,000 dead. She is now happy to live in Flushing with her husband and two of her grown children. She loves to share her food and her Nepalese heritage through the League of Kitchens as well as through private catering and a catering company where she works as a chef. In February 2018, Rachana cooked the first-ever Nepalese dinner at the James Beard House. She has also been featured in The New York Times (Front Burner), the James Beard Foundation, and The Tiffin Club.
More info: https://www.mofad.org/events/20210401/kitchenwithoutborders
Nasrin Rejali
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #6 | Wednesday (May 12) 04:30 | Tuesday (May 11) 19:30 | Nasrin Rejali | Persian | Eggplant Mirza |
Chef Nasrin can’t remember life before cooking. For her, cooking is an expression of love. In her family’s kitchen in Tehran, she faithfully absorbed secret recipes and delicate skills from her grandmother and mother.
By the time she was 15, Nasrin would make her own jams and pickles. Later on, she ran a little cafe in the city, serving traditional foods such as rich eggplant dips and saucy meatballs filled with hard-boiled egg and apricot, and also desserts with hot herbal teas.
In 2014, she had to leave Iran with her three little children, never to return again. In the fall of 2016, they made their journey to New York and started over. After a rough arrival period, living in a shelter and looking for work, Nasrin was offered the opportunity to work at Eat Offbeat, a catering kitchen that employs refugees from all over the world to create a global cuisine for their clients. Though her English was sparse at first, she and her fellow cooks spoke the language of cooking. With each dish, they shared with one another the knowledge and stories of their disparate cultures and traditions.
Nasrin’s work has been featured by NY Times, NY magazine, Salon, and ABC News.
Social: https://www.instagram.com/chefnasrinlove/
Paola Carlini
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #7 | Wednesday (May 12) 14:30 | Wednesday (May 12) 05:30/td> | Paola Carlini | European | Beet Gazpacho + Patatas bravas |
Paola is a Venezuelan-born, Spanish-trained, London-based chef. Based on her diverse cultural and professional background, she works as a chef providing food experiences, caterings and corporate events. After all these years of cooking professionally, she has learned that she cooks to make other people happy.
She started working in restaurants aged 15, in her hometown Caracas, Venezuela. When she was 18, she moved to Spain to study cooking in Barcelona. During her time there she worked in the Michelin star restaurant El Celler de Can Roca, an experience which deeply influenced her cooking. In 2009, she moved to London where she consulted for 4 years at the city’s finest food suppliers followed by 3 years doing product development at Gu dessert brand.
Three years ago, she decided to split her time as an independent chef and a co-founder of Taste Collaborative, a food consultancy and product development company. Food does so much more than just feed us. It’s about connection, and she happily spends every day figuring out new ways to work with it.
Social: https://www.instagram.com/paocarlin/
Keesha O’Galdez
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #8 | Wednesday (May 12) 21:00 | Wednesday (May 12) 12:00 | Keesha O’Galdez | Belize-Caribbean | Tropical Buddha Bowl |
Keesha O’Galdez is a New York City-based chef, healthy lifestyle advocate, and founder of Gourmet Diva, Inc. She has completed the Chef's training program at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Culinary Arts in New York City. She focuses on organic, vegetarian, vegan and other health supportive diets. She has a BS in Information Systems Engineering from Buffalo University - SUNY and a MBA from Simmons College in Boston, MA.
Keesha has worked in the non profit, academic, public and financial sectors as a project consultant and operations manager. She has graced the kitchens as a Pastry Chef in Smith Canteen in Carroll Gardens Brooklyn, Amys Bread, and Smile to Go in Soho and savory as a catering chef at Patina Events and Oliver Chang. You may have seen Chef Keesha on multiple episodes of Epicurious’s 50 Person Prep challenge webseries that has reached over 10 million views.
Social: https://www.instagram.com/gourmetdiva/
Alex Roberts
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #9 | Thursday (May 13) 04:30 | Wednesday (May 12) 19:30 | Alex Roberts | North American | Buttermilk Biscuits |
Food stylist, and baker, Alex Roberts is based in LA and has grown professionally with the help of those around him. "Having mentors has been extremely important in my career.”
Through the years, Alexander’s mentors have helped him learn the art of pastry and how to craft efficiently. He suggests those just getting started find mentors by shadowing in their respective fields. "When you’re passionate about something it shows and people will want to help you.”
Social: https://www.instagram.com/alexanderbakes/
Sandra Millán
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #10 | Thursday (May 13) 22:30 | Thursday (May 13) 13:30 | Sandra Millán | South American | Encocada |
Sandra Millán is the CEO/ Founder of EL Vagabundo, in Bogotá, Colombia. Born and raised in Bogota Colombia. Sandra’s passion and love for cooking lead her to attend The Culinary Institute of America, where she got her BPS in Culinary Arts
and Restaurant Management in 2011.
After six years of living in NYC and experiencing the restaurant industry in Manhattan, working for a Michelin Star Restaurant and as a junior sommelier in Eataly; she had an impulse to start her own business. After being exposed to all the different cuisines and inspired by the Latin culture she opened a catering business and a food truck “El Vagabundo”
In 2013, she partnered with the US Embassy and has been one of the upcoming chefs and young entrepreneurs in the new culinary era in Bogota, Colombia.
Social: https://www.instagram.com/elvagabundocol/
Palak Patel
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #11 | Friday (May 14) 02:30 | Thursday (May 13) 17:30 | Palak Patel | Indian | Herb and Sweet Potato Soup |
Palak Patel is a classically trained, renowned chef, TV personality, TEDx speaker, creator of the first Curry Cube for BOU, and chef at the Institute of Culinary Education. She gained critical acclaim from victories in shows like Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay on Food Network. Most recently she was top four on season 14 of Food Network Star.
Born and raised in India, Palak grew up living with her extended fifteen-person family where cooking and eating together were part of her family DNA from a very young age. Palak started her career moonlighting as a personal chef in 2006 and later completed her initial training with the acclaimed Culinary Business Academy of the United States Personal Chef Institute in San Francisco. Palak eventually enrolled and earned her culinary degree from the prestigious International Culinary Center in New York. Upon graduating, she put her knives to work in the south of France to perfect her techniques.
Palak’s commitment to philanthropy and volunteer efforts includes being a board member of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC), partnerships with New York City Food Bank, and Indian American Council (IAC). She’s helped raise over 100K for Project Sunshine. Palak also battled it out against 24 other seasoned chefs in the Sears Chef’s Challenge, winning $20K for Los Angeles Food Bank.
Social: https://www.instagram.com/chefpalak/
Akiko Thurnauer
| Class # | Japan Standard Time (JST) | UTC | Chef | Cuisine | Recipe Name |
| Class #12 | Friday (May 14) 06:30 | Thursday (May 13) 21:30 | Akiko Thurnauer | Japanese | Gyoza (dumplings) |
Born and raised in Tokyo Japan, Akiko lives with her husband and 13 year old twin girls in the Lower East side, New York. She has been in the food industry for 15 years.
Akiko got married to her husband in 1997. She started to make lunch box for her husband. Somehow, this lunch box got so much attention from his co-worker. It became business 20 years ago which was featured in NY TIMES and NY POST.
After the experience, she started working at Nobu Tribeca, Pichet Ong’s PON*G and 2 Fine catering companies, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Event (formerly Hudson Yards), and Creative edge parties as well as her own private catering.